Our valued head mechanic is putting the engine back together this weekend. Er, a.k.a. Aidan. The head’s been away to be skimmed and checked since we blew the head gasket in the Cork Forestry. Our woes started on SS3, Dereenaling, where we managed an excellent time just 1sec off fastest in the juniors. We should have had fastest, only for a slippery run to the flying finish and a giant dyke. Lo and behold, the dyke proved too tempting and we just had to have a look.

Thankfully, due to a minor miracle, the heavy right Mulcahy boot and the power of V-Tec, we somehow managed to crawl along the dyke and up the ditch behind the timing car, with barely a scratch on the car. However, despite the minor cosmetic damage, there was a bigger problem: Our wash bottle was dead.

We made it through SS4 and back to service pretty much unscathed, and even got the wash bottle back to the land of the living. Unfortunately however, the damage was done, and the minor miracle that got us out of the dyke on SS3 had taken its’ toll. The head gasket could take no more revving and we started losing water and overheating. We tried to battle on, thinking it was a rad problem, but unfortunately by the end of SS7 our rally was over.

So now, It’s time to start getting the car back together so she can take plenty more abuse next year. The first round of the championship is in Tipperary in February, so we’ll be launching our championship officially in January, just as soon as the car’s rebuilt, resprayed and liveried up with our sponsors.

Stay tuned!!!